Turbine.



' Patented Nov. 26, I90l. A. E. A. RIEGEL.

T U R B I N E.

(Application filed Jan. 11, 1897.)

-3 Shuts-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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Patented Nov. 26, l90l.

A. E. A. HIEGEL.

T U R B l N E.

(Application filed Jan. 11, 1897.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

V To NoZZLi 06 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED ETIENNE ANTOINE RIEGEL, OF PANTI-N, NEAR PARIS, FRANCE.

TURBINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 687,269, dated November 26, 1901. Application filed January 11, 1897. Serial No. 618,745. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED ETIENNE AN- TOINE RIEGEL, of the city of Pantin, near Paris, France, have invented Improvements in Turbines and Rotary Motors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descripion.

This invention relates to rotary engines or turbines driven by jets of steam or gaseous fluid under pressure. In such an engine or turbine the peripheral speed of the pallets should be equal to about half the velocity of the gases escaping from the jet-nozzles; but at such high speeds of rotation the greater part of the power is absorbed by friction and vibration unless recourse be had to special arrangements.

The present invention relates to various improvements applicable to such rotary engines or turbines, with the object of avoiding this loss of power while permitting of very high speeds favorable to efficiency; and said invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,whichillustrate theinvention as applied to a turbine for the propulsion of automotor-carriages.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of an apparatus embodying my invention, taken on line 1 2, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 isahorizon: tal section on line 3 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical section of the distributing-valve for the motive fluid. Fig. 4c is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail representation of the pallets.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The motive fluid is emitted at nozzles a of such internal form thatthe jets of steam or gas issuing therefrom will have the highest possible velocity, the best form of nozzle being formed by the junction of the apices of a convergent and a long divergent cone. For

the sake of efficiency no one of the nozzles should be partially open, but should be either full open or quite closed. For low powers nozzles of equal internal section-say four in number-may be used, in which case only four degrees of power are obtainable with good efficiency, the efficiency being low at the intermediate degrees of power.

For the purpose of varying the power the valve illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is used, whereby the tubes b b b b are opened or closed successively to the nozzles a and whereby the gases may be directed into a tube b leading to a nozzle a, for reversing the motion of the turbine, the gases being admitted by pipe 0 to a hollow plug d, havinga lateral orifice and turned by a handle '8. For high powers such valves would be unsuitable, and I employ an arrangement which will permit of obtaining the greatest possible number of degrees of power (with high efficiency) in arithmetical progression by operating a minimum number of valves. To this end nozzles of unequal size are employed whose minimum sectional areas are to each other as the terms of a geometrical progression whose ratio is double that of the first term. For example, there may be eight nozzles whose sectional areas are as one, two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, and one hundred and twenty-eight, wherebyI obtain by manipulating eightvalves not merely 'eight degrees of power, but powers corresponding to all the terms of an arithmetical progression whose ratio is the first term of the preceding progression, theterms in this example being one, two, three, four, five, &c., and the last term being 1+2+4+8+l6 +32+6'-t+128, or a total of two hundred and fifty-five degrees of power. In practice it is not necessary to have such a large number of degrees of power of high efficiency in arithmetical progression. In a locomotive-turbine, for example, fifteen degrees would be sufficient and it would only be necessary to manipulate four valves, the minimum sectional areas of the nozzles being one, two, four, and eight.

In order to avoid increasing the dimensions of the receiving-pallets, which would be necessary if the jets were increased in size, instead of employing, for example, one large jet of a sectional area represented by eight small jets of a sectional area represented by one may be combined, controlled by a single corresponding valve.

The turbine consists of a metal disk f, having pallets consisting of cups or cavities around its circumference, which when viewed as in Fig. 1 presents a stepped form of which each of the steps 9 instead of being Hat is hollowed in the form of two segments of cylinders intersecting in the median plane of the turbine in the form of an acute arris, by which the motive fluid projected from the nozzles is divided into two symmetrical jets which are reflected from the bottoms of the two cylindrical cavities, the admission and discharge of the gas thus being symmetrical relatively to the median plane of the turbine.

The turbine may be driven either by steam, air, compressed, or other suitable gas.

In order to avoid the great loss due to vibration and friction of the journals and gearing, the turbine is specially constructed as follows:

First. It is so arranged as to be completely symmetrical with respect to the median plane of itsdisk as regards the injection of the motive fluid and its discharge from the pallets, as well as in respect of the transmission of motion, the shaft having two pinions 77. upon its ends which gear with two toothed wheels 2', symmetrically mounted upon a shaftj, and if the latter should still revolve too quickly for the purpose required it may, as in the example shown, be provided with pinions 7t, symmetrically arranged in gear with wheels ll on the last or low-speed shaft. For low powers the toothed gearing may be replaced by friction-gear.

Second. The turbine is specially provided with long journals brought very close together and is supported by the cheeks m m on either side.

Third. The frictional surfaces are coned, so as to permit of taking up wear of each bearing while maintaining the axial position of the shaft. Fig. 2 shows applied to shaft-j a journal-bearing 01, made in a single piece coned internally, fitting a shaft-journal of corresponding form and threaded exteriorly, so as to be fixed and adjusted by screwing into the cheek-plate of the casing. This figure also shows another form of bearing 0, applied to the turbine shaft. p is a screwthreaded socket which clamps around the shaft two split sleeves 0, which abut by their cheeks m against the turbine wheel. By screwing up the socketp toward m its coned port-ion q will tighten up as required the two parts about the shaft. Ball-bearings, as in the drawings, maybe used, the distinguishing features of which are as follows: The circles of balls as revolve between annuli 24, wedgeshaped in cross-section, threaded upon the shaft and also in contact with the interior surface of a cylindrical sleeve o. The shaft is regulated in position endwise by means of adjusting-screws 10, each bearing against a ball y, inserted between it and the end ofthe shaft, the adjustment being efiected without difficulty, seeing that all the circles of balls revolve in contact with the interior of the cylindrical sleeve r.

Fourth. The segments of the circular casing are jointed together by means of rabbetcd joints and tightened up by screw-bolts which merely hold the parts together, the rabbeted form of the joint preventing lateral displacement. These joints are shown as applied to the end plates of the turbine casing proper, as well as between these and the outer casing carrying the bearings of the intermediate shaft As the turbine revolving at high velocity acts as a fly-wheel or power-storer, it is necessary that the brake (which is more especially required when the turbine is applied to Vehicles) should act upon the turbine itself, which is of a form adapted for applying the brake against the insidef of the rim of the turbine wheel f. Two brake-shafts r, operated from the exterior, carry upon their inner ends eccentric brake-blocks s, of leather or wood, which are normally held out of action by springs 15.

The above-described improvements may be applied either together or separately to all kinds of turbines and rotary motors, and the dimensions and accessory arrangements may be varied to suit the circumstances of each case.

I claim-- 1. In an engine, the combination with a turbine wheel, oppositely-disposed inlet-nozzles a 0. which cooperate with said turbine wheel, a valve-casin g, a plurality of delivery-ports in communication with said valve-casing and a single handoperated valve for controlling said delivery-ports, whereby said ports may be brought simultaneously into communication with either of said inlet-nozzles and the turbine rotated in either direction.

2. In an engine, the combination with a turbine wheel having around its periphery a series of pallets arranged in step form and each consisting of two segments of cylinders intersecting each other in the median plane of the turbine wheel in the form of an acute arris, oppositely-disposed inlet-nozzles a a which cooperate with said turbine wheel, a valvecasing, a plurality of delivery-ports in communication with said valve-casing and a single hand-operated valve for controlling said delivery-ports whereby said ports may be brought simultaneously into communication with either of said inlet-nozzles and the turbine rotated in either direction.

3. In an engine, the combination of a turbine wheel having around its periphery a series of pallets arranged in step form and each consisting of two segments of cylinders intersecting each other in the median plane of the turbine wheel in the form of an acute arris, a shaft forming the axis of said turbine wheel and extending equal distances on both sides thereof, pinions carried by the said shaft one on each side of the turbine, gears adapted to be engaged by said pinions, oppositely-disposed inlet-nozzles a a which cooperate with said turbine wheel, a valve-casing, a plurality IIO of delivery-ports in communication with said I The foregoing specification of my improvevalve-casing andasinglehand-operated valve ments in turbines and rotary motors signed for controlling said de1ivery-ports, whereby by me this 19th day of December, 1896.

the said ports may be brought simultaneously ALFRED ETIENNE ANTOINE RIEGEL. into communication with either of said inlet- Witnesses:

nozzles and the turbine rotated in either di- EDWARD P. MAGLEAN,

rection. MAURICE H. PIGNET. 

